Love Your Neighbor

It's a one news item world right now. Crime, the Middle East, natural disasters, and human interest stories are all taking a back seat to the coronavirus sweeping the globe. While it's not reached plague level deaths, the death rate is quite high compared to influenza that has up to this point killed more people. But right now, it's okay that it takes front and center. We need to live in love more than ever.

What do I mean? Jesus said one of the two greatest commandments was to love your neighbor as yourself. It's often expressed as the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have done unto you. There are those who are arguing this whole thing is being blown out of proportion. But as I mentioned before, the death rate is higher than influenza and it strikes the elderly disproportionally, as well as those with compromised immune systems. Those who are less likely to become severely ill must think about those who could.

Please think about buying everything on the store shelves before you do it. Everyone needs extra. We don't need to stockpile unnecessarily for months. Just weeks. If we follow the requests for social distancing, we will be less likely to get sick or be an unknown carrier. I work with the public daily, and frankly, I'm getting uncomfortable. My employer is taking steps to minimize risks, yet I'm 64 and taking a medication that suppresses my immune system. I'm not losing sleep over it, but I'm vigilant and thoughtful. And God understands canceled church services. My congregation is on the older side. We need to think about them interacting with younger people who could be asymptomatic.

Some are saying it's the end times. Could be, though they thought it was the end times in Paul's era. God is not missing in action. He's near his children throughout the world. And I'm always hesitant to declare Divine judgment. I don't pretend to know God's thoughts and ways. They are above mine. He said so. But I do believe this can be a time to show charity to the world by Christians stepping up to think of others more than they think of themselves. To remember food banks and to check on their elderly neighbors. To not think I don't need to worry, forgetting the vulnerable.

Love your neighbor as yourself and show God's face to the world. What you do to the least of these you do to Jesus.